What Happens After Your Token Lists (And Why Most Projects Panic)

The Honeymoon Ends Fast
You got the CEX listing. The announcement went out. Price pumped 40% in an hour.
Then it didn't.

Here's what actually happens in the first 30 days — and why most teams aren't ready.

Week 1: The Launch High
Volume is high. Your community celebrates. The exchange pushed your announcement.
The reality: Early buyers from private rounds start unlocking and selling. The price you see is a battle between retail interest and insider profit-taking.
Most teams celebrate too early.

Week 2: The Reality Check
Volume drops 60-80%.
This is normal. The announcement effect fades. Now your token lives or dies on its own.
Newbies panic here. They think the listing "failed."
The truth: You moved from marketing phase to market phase. Two different games.

Week 3: The Real MM Test
Your market maker's work starts now.

Are they quoting tight spreads when volume is low?

Are they absorbing sells without price collapse?

Or did they reduce activity because the spotlight moved on?
Bad MMs disappear. Good ones keep showing up. Most founders can't tell the difference until it's too late.
Learn more about market making mechanics

Week 4: The Hard Question
Who's buying now?

Real users who need your token?

Speculators betting on the next pump?

Bots arbitraging between exchanges?
If you can't answer this, you don't have a strategy. You have hope.

What Actually Protects You
Not marketing. Not influencers. Three boring things:
1.
Real token use — someone holds it for something other than selling
2.
Aligned holders — vesting that doesn't dump on retail simultaneously
3.
Working MM — inventory risk absorption when sellers show up

The Big Mistake
Thinking listing day is the finish line.
It's day one of a different race. Most projects spend 6 months chasing the listing. Then have no plan for month one of actually being listed.

What's Next
Learn how to read your own chart like an exchange listing manager does. The metrics they check in 30 seconds. The red flags that kill partnerships.
Coming next.